Kelly: 10 questions about the upcoming Miami Dolphins season

While no coach or players on this year’s team is responsible for the franchise’s 24-year drought of not winning a playoff game, the Miami Dolphins’ postseason futility served as a stench that needs to be cleansed.

No NFL team has gone longer than the Dolphins when it comes not delivering a playoff win, and it’s on head coach Mike McDaniel and his staff, Tua Tagovailoa and his offense, and Jalen Ramsey and his defense to provide South Florida’s NFL franchise a breakthrough.

But plenty has to happen this season for the Dolphins to be in position to win it’s first playoff game since 2000.

Here’s a breakdown of 10 questions whose answers will likely dictate what happens in 2024.

1. Will Tua Tagovailoa’s performance match his new paycheck?

Tua Tagovailoa’s new five-year deal, which pays him $47 million a season, makes him one of the NFL’s five highest-paid players in the league. As Tagovailoa alluded to when the deal was signed, heavy is the head that wears the crown, and now the expectation is for him to perform and lead like he’s one of the NFL’s elites. That means he needs to become a clutch performer when the game’s on the line, and no more excuses should be offered.

2. Can Miami’s offense convert a third-and-short consistently this season?

Miami possessed one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks in 2023, but also featured one of the worst offenses when it came to converting in short-yardage situations. Miami’s outside zone rushing scheme has plenty to do with those struggles because it relies more on athletic interior linemen more so than powerful ones. McDaniel needs to find a workaround to this problem, which the team has labored unsuccessfully to address all training camp.

3. Is 2,000 yards still the goal for Tyreek Hill?

Hill claims becoming the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiver isn’t on his agenda anymore, but that doesn’t mean it’s not on McDaniel’s to-do list. All Hill will need to do is stay healthy for all 17 games and average 118 receiving yards per game, which is doable for a player with his talent. But the Dolphins offense is at its best when teams have to spread their attention to others, so we’ll see if Hill must sacrifice being a record setter for having a better overall offense.

3. Will De’Von Achane take the lead role from Raheem Mostert?

Achane, who set an NFL record for yards per carry (7.8) last season, should be able to pick up where he left off as a rookie. He’s a smidgen bigger, and has a better grasp of Miami’s offense. But it’s nowhere close to Mostert, who is beginning his eighth season in McDaniel’s offense. I believe it’s more realistic that we’ll see a 60-40 split favoring Mostert in the tailback workload if injuries don’t become a factor. But Achane has the tools to produce his first 1,000-yard rushing season. Expect McDaniel to ride the hot hand in games, and for injuries to dictate the carry load.

5. Does Miami have enough beef on the defensive line?

The Dolphins have two reliable pillars on the defensive line in Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell, and the rest of the unit is made up of castoffs such as Benito Jones, Da’Shawn Hand, Neville Gallimore and Jonathan Harris. Miami is hoping that one of those four steps forward, proving they are worthy of becoming a full-time starting defensive lineman the way Sieler did in his second season with the team. But what happens if none of them do, and/or the unit loses Sieler or Campbell? That could make this one long and painful season for the Dolphins.

6. Will Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb be healthy enough to play 12 games each?

Phillips, who was taken off the physically unable to perform list earlier this month and has been practicing with his teammates, seems to be on his way back from the Achilles tendon injury that he sustained late last November. He’s expected to play in the regular-season opener against Jacksonville, but might be on a pitch count. Chubb continues to rehab the ACL he tore in his right knee in December and will begin camp on the PUP, which will make him eligible to play in October games if he’s deemed healthy enough.

7. Can Terron Armstead stay healthy for a first NFL season?

Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowler, has never played every game in a regular-season game in his previous 11 seasons because of one injury or another. But that doesn’t mean he has stopped shooting for that goal, and the Dolphins held him out of all but one day of contract work during this summer’s training camp hoping to keep some unnecessary mileage off his legs. Armstead will begin participating in a full practice for the first time this week so it’s logical to wonder if he’ll be ready, or if he will have to use the season to get ready.

8. Will Anthony Weaver’s defense meet the standard set by his predecessor?

Vic Fangio certainly wasn’t popular among his former players, but the Dolphins ranked 10th in total yards allowed per game last season under his leadership. Miami also set a franchise record for sacks produced last season, which hints that the old man was doing something right, especially since Miami entered the Baltimore Ravens game in late December ranked fourth, then nose dived to 10th because of numerous injuries. The hope is that Weaver will be the architect of a defense that comes close to that level of productivity, carrying their share of the weight for the 2023 season. But to have a chance Miami’s defense will need to stay healthy, and that hasn’t been the case during training camp.

9. Are the additions of Jonnu Smith and Odell Beckham Jr. going to improve Miami’s offense?

It’s always hard to maintain the No. 1 spot in anything, but Miami is being challenged to add new wrinkles to what was already one of the NFL’s most innovative offenses. Smith’s versatility, and his ability to produce yards after the catch, hints that he’ll handle 400-500 snaps in various packages this season, which would allow the Dolphins to use one and two tight ends as the team’s base offense. As for Beckham Jr., an aged and often injured receiver who showcased elite ability last season in Baltimore, there’s intrigue about whether or not his skills would blend well with Tagovailoa and Miami’s offense. But the two haven’t worked together all offseason because of a medical issue Beckham joined the team with, and is working to put in his past.

10. Can Liam Eichenberg be counted on to serve as an NFL starter?

Eichenberg has started 38 of the 43 NFL regular-season games he’s played in, but he’s probably only been good for a handful or two of those games. However, the goal was to have the 2021 second-round pick settle in at right guard, giving him yet another test drive as a starter. But Aaron Brewer’s hand injury forced Eichenberg into center. There’s only one legit measuring stick that will determine if Eichenberg’s ready and capable to become a legitimate NFL start, and that’s in-game performance. The hope is that this former Notre Dame standout will become reliable, physically hold up, and spend less of his time on the ground in games.